13.08.2025 02:31
The search efforts for businessman Halit Yukay, whose boat was found in a fragmented state while he was traveling from Yalova to Bozcaada, were suspended on the 8th day due to a storm. Photos of the cargo ship named 'Arel 7', which is believed to have collided with Yukay's boat, were included in the investigation file; these photos were taken one day before and one day after the incident. It was determined that there were distinct abrasion marks on the front of the ship.
```html
Businessman Halit Yukay set sail on August 4 at 15:10 from Yalova to Bozcaada with his own boat named 'Graywolf'. On the same day, the Coast Guard teams were activated upon the report of Yukay's relatives, who had not heard from him. While the teams started search operations, a report was made on August 5 around 14:30 that half-sunken boat parts were seen on the sea surface from a commercial ship sailing off the coast of Turanköy in the Kapıdağ Peninsula of Balıkesir.
SEARCHING FOR DAYS
The Coast Guard Southern Marmara Group Command teams went to the given coordinates. A helicopter, a diving team, and 7 floating units from the Coast Guard Command initiated a search and rescue operation. The diving team also dove to the half-sunken boat, but no results were obtained from the searches. In the examination by the teams, it was determined that the motor serial number of the broken boat matched that of Halit Yukay's boat. Underwater images of the boat, which the Coast Guard Southern Marmara Group Command teams dove to, showed that it was broken apart.
EXPERT ASSIGNED
Halit Yukay, who has a yacht shipyard and company in the Altınova district of Yalova, and produces yachts as an engineer and chief designer, was also seen leaving the port with his boat. In the footage, Halit Yukay is seen departing from the port, while an expert examination was initiated on the broken boat named 'Graywolf', which was pulled to Ekinlik Island and lifted ashore by a crane, to determine the cause of the accident as part of the investigation conducted by the Marmara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
PARTS FOUND ON THE SHORE
The Bursa Police Department's Marine Port Branch, along with the Çanakkale Police Department's Marine Port Branch and the Samsun Police Department's Marine Port Branch, reported that frogmen found parts believed to belong to Yukay's boat 'Graywolf' on the rocks north of Paşalimanı Island on the 6th day of the search operations.
CARGO SHIP CAPTAIN ARRESTED ON APPEAL
The captain of the cargo ship named 'Arel 7' (61), who was alleged to have collided with Yukay's broken boat, was detained in Yalova on charges of 'causing death by negligence' and was released under judicial control with a travel ban. However, upon the appeal of the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, he was re-arrested in Istanbul.
SCRATCHES ON THE FRONT OF THE SHIP
As the radar movements of the ship alleged to have collided with Halit Yukay's broken yacht emerged, the Coast Guard teams found scratches on the front of the cargo ship during their examination. The Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is scrutinizing the ship traffic in the area and the route of 'Arel 7', while two photographs showing the scratches on the ship were also included in the investigation file. In a photo taken a day before the accident on August 3 in Çanakkale, no marks were seen on the front of the ship, while in a photo taken a day after the accident on August 5 in Izmit, the distinct mark and impact on the front of 'Arel 7' drew attention. Additionally, it was learned that camera recordings showing the ship's captain and crew checking the front of the ship after disembarking in Izmit were also included in the investigation file.
HE STATED HE FELT A SHOCK IN HIS STATEMENT
While investigating how the scratches on the front of the 92-meter-long and 11-meter-wide ship occurred, the arrested captain C.T. also stated in his testimony at the Yalova court that he felt a shock while sailing, saying, "We had passed Marmara Island. I felt a shock, I couldn't understand, I looked ahead and saw two pieces on my right and left. I saw them as wooden pieces. I passed through the middle, but after going a little further, I turned back with the ship. I didn't feel comfortable. At that moment, I saw a life buoy. I couldn't understand what the wooden pieces I saw on my right and left were. When I realized it had nothing to do with me, I continued on my way. After a while, I called the company official. I explained the situation. Then I said it had nothing to do with us. I said, 'I am continuing on my way.' Normally, in such situations, the Coast Guard should be informed. But I couldn't think of that with my psychology at that moment. There were also 2-3 ships in front of me. In the middle of the sea, I thought it was abandoned, that it had nothing to do with us. I didn't see it as a boat, I didn't guess. There was no collision. We would have definitely heard the sound."
SUITABLE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
On the other hand, the search operations for businessman Halit Yukay were suspended on the 8th day due to a storm. The Bursa Police Department's Marine Port Branch, along with the Samsun Police Department's Marine Port Branch and the Izmir Police Department's Marine Port Branch, are waiting for suitable weather conditions for the dive of the 10 frogmen and the ROV brought from Izmir to the region. Yesterday morning, the sea police, who set sail from Kestanelik Port in Erdek with a 42-meter fishing boat, started searching the seabed with the ROV at the point where the accident occurred, but no trace was found.
The ROV, which can image and scan up to 300 meters deep in the sea, can also bring underwater detected objects to the surface with its gripping arm attached to the mechanism.
```